Letter to the Hon. Paul R. LePage, Governor of Maine - Drop Lawsuit Revoking Patient Pre-Existing Condition Protections

Letter

President Trump recently tweeted, "All Republicans support people with pre-existing conditions, and if they don't, they will after I speak to them. I am in total support." Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said, "There's nobody in the Senate that I'm familiar with who is not in favor of coverage of preexisting conditions." President Trump and Leader McConnell are clearly responding to the national sentiment that recognizes the importance of these protections. According to a recent Kaiser Family Foundation poll, 75 percent of Americans say it is very important to prevent insurance companies from denying coverage based on a person's medical history.

According to the Department of Health and Human Services, as many as 133 million Americans under the age of 65 have a pre-existing health condition that would lead to a denial of insurance coverage, or coverage only at an exorbitant price. Allowing discrimination based on pre-existing conditions will be devastating to those living with chronic health challenges like asthma, diabetes, or cancer, and drive up costs for working families, small businesses, and entrepreneurs. Given that national Republican leadership is claiming to defend pre-existing conditions protections, we expect that you will immediately drop your lawsuit which, if successful, would nullify these protections.

We look forward to your response.